The Minnesota Wild have spent years searching for more high-end offensive talent around Kirill Kaprizov.
They may no longer have to search very far.
Kaprizov and Matt Boldy were both ranked among the six best wings in hockey by NHL Network, giving Minnesota one of the most highly regarded star duos in the league entering the 2026-27 season.
No other NHL team placed two players inside the top six.
The only two wings ranked ahead of Kaprizov were Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov at No. 1 and Boston Bruins winger David Pastrnak at No. 2.
Kaprizov finished ahead of some massive names, including Mitch Marner, Mikko Rantanen, Matthew Tkachuk, Artemi Panarin and Kyle Connor.
Boldy's placement might be even more noteworthy.
The 25-year-old finished ahead of Jason Robertson, Matthew Tkachuk, Cole Caufield, William Nylander, Connor, Panarin, Sam Reinhart and several other established NHL stars.
NHL Network analyst Mike Rupp had especially high praise for Boldy during the countdown.
“He is an absolute star, can score some goals, and that clutch ability, that clutch gene that he has, is immeasurable,” Rupp said.
Boldy's rise has changed the outlook of Minnesota's offense.
For years, Kaprizov was unquestionably the centerpiece of the Wild's attack. While that hasn't necessarily changed, Boldy has developed into another legitimate game-breaking winger alongside him.
And NHL Network apparently believes the gap between Minnesota's two stars isn't very large.
Kaprizov and Boldy were separated by just three spots in the rankings.
The Wild were also one of only three organizations with multiple players inside the top seven. Dallas had Rantanen at No. 5 and Robertson at No. 7, while Minnesota had Kaprizov and Boldy even higher at Nos. 3 and 6.
That gives Minnesota something few teams can match: two wingers, NHL Network believes, are among the very best players at their position.
The complete top 10 consisted of Kucherov, Pastrnak, Kaprizov, Marner, Rantanen, Boldy, Robertson, Matthew Tkachuk, Caufield and Nylander.
NHL Network said its rankings were based on performance over the past several seasons, with additional emphasis placed on the 2025-26 regular season and 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, while also factoring in future upside.
That last part is particularly interesting for Boldy.
Kaprizov is already firmly established among the NHL's elite. Boldy, meanwhile, is entering what should be the prime years of his career and is now being ranked alongside some of the biggest stars in hockey.
Minnesota doesn't just have one of the NHL's best wings anymore. According to NHL Network, it has two of the six best.
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At first glance, the Senators don't look dramatically different from the team we watched last season.
Yes, the captain abandoned ship, but you still have a ton of the usual suspects. The core guys like Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, Dylan Cozens, Drake Batherson, Shane Pinto, Linus Ullmark and others are all still here.
But dig a little deeper, and there's actually been quite a bit of turnover in the past year.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss where Jake Sanderson fell on the list of top NHL defensemen.
In fact, 12 players who appeared in at least one game for the Senators last season are now somewhere else.
#7 Brady Tkachuk – 60 games
As news goes, this one is bigger than all the other 11 exits put together.
After eight seasons in Ottawa, Tkachuk requested a trade and was dealt to the Florida Panthers in June. The former captain leaves the biggest hole of anyone on this list, but many fans think it may be a case of addition by subtraction. Even some teammates aren't convinced his exit will be a major loss at all for this group,
Time will tell.
#89 Lars Eller – 68 games
Tkachuk isn't the only former Senator headed to Florida. Eller played 68 games for Ottawa last season after signing a one-year deal last summer.
He provided veteran depth down the middle but was always going to be a short-term solution. He was solid, but the Senators were ready to try someone else, and that's probably Stephen Halliday.
#3 Nick Jensen – 61 games
Jensen became an important part of the Sens' defence after arriving in the Jakob Chychrun trade in 2024.
He played 61 games last season before another injury ended his year and has since signed a two-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks. It will be interesting to see if Jensen can get back to where he was before he began to break down in 2024-25.
The Sens will now lean more heavily on Artem Zub and Jordan Spence while Nikolas Matinpalo and Carter Yakemchuk battle for the third spot on the right side.
#57 David Perron – 49 games
Perron's two-year stay in Ottawa actually ended before the season did.
The Senators traded the veteran winger to Detroit at the deadline after he appeared in 49 games. It closed the book on a somewhat disappointing free-agent signing, although Perron did provide some useful experience during Ottawa's return to the playoffs.
As the Sens tried to rally from a 0-3 series deficit in their 2025 first round against Toronto, Perron's game-tying goal in the third period of Game 6 will always be a highlight.
Perron remains a UFA, and at 38, he might still be a PTO option for someone.
#47 James Reimer – 14 games
Reimer wasn't even a Senator when last season began. He signed in January after Linus Ullmark took a long leave of absence and goaltending became a concern. A grave concern. Reimer provided some stability, appearing in 14 games.
But with Samuel Ersson brought in this summer, Reimer has moved on and, at 38, he remains a free agent. After historically giving the Sens fits over the years, it was nice for a change that they could benefit from his play.
#6 Dennis Gilbert – 8 games
Gilbert's second go-around with the Senators wasn't much longer than the first. He played in 8 games and then three more in the playoffs after spending much of the year in Belleville. He provided some depth when injuries began piling up on Ottawa's blue line.
He's now back in Buffalo, where the Sens first acquired him, along with Dylan Cozens, in 2025.
#60 Lassi Thomson – 11 games
Thomson's second tour with the Senators organization is over.
The former 19th overall pick returned to Ottawa last season and eventually got into 11 NHL games, recording three assists. He also suited up for one playoff game.
He's since returned to Europe (again), likely closing the book on his time with the organization that drafted him in 2019. Thomson was, by far, the best asset to come from the trading of Matt Duchene to Columbus, which speaks loudly about the quality of that deal.
#15 Olle Lycksell – 7 games
Lycksell actually made Ottawa's opening-night roster after signing as a free agent last summer, but his stay in the NHL didn't last long.
He appeared in seven games for the Senators and spent most of the season in Belleville. He was a depth player who signed in Switzerland for the coming season.
#34 Arthur Kaliyev – 2 games
Kaliyev was an intriguing low-risk signing last summer because of his shot, his goal-scoring ability, and his OHL days when he played for Steve Staios. Nothing really came of the signing, though Belleville fans would disagree. Kaliyev led the B-Sens and the AHL with 40 goals last season.
He appeared in two games for Ottawa in October but never made it back to the NHL club. Kaliyev finished the season as a dominant scorer in Belleville. Despite leading the AHL with 40 goals, he remains a UFA.
#37 Donovan Sebrango – 2 games
Sebrango got another brief taste of the NHL last season, appearing twice for the Senators.
The Ottawa-area product had been part of the organization since coming over from Detroit in the Alex DeBrincat trade in 2023, but he was claimed off waivers by the Panthers in October after the Sens tried to send him down to Belleville.
Sebrango went on to have his best year yet, playing 40 games for Florida and signing a one-way deal with them last month.
#40 Mads Søgaard – 2 games
There was a time when Søgaard was considered a legit candidate to become the Sens' goalie of the future.
That never happened.
Sogaard appeared in just two games for Ottawa last season and has since signed with Tampa Bay. The last 6-foot-7 Sens goalie who left for Tampa was Ben Bishop. If Sogaard can only be half as good, the Lightning will be thrilled.
#31 Hunter Shepard – 1 game
Shepard's Senators career lasted exactly one NHL appearance.
Ottawa signed him as organizational goaltending depth last summer and eventually traded him to Montreal in March in a minor league swap. Shepard will give the KHL a go this season.
Obviously, no two exits carry the same impact on the Sens roster. At the top, it's Tkachuk, while a few of these departures won't move the needle at all.
But it does illustrate just how quickly an NHL roster turns over. 12 players who pulled on a Senators sweater at some point last season have already moved on.
So while the names at the top of the lineup remain highly recognizable, there's actually been quite a bit of change under the hood.
By Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published in The Hockey News. For more Sens coverage at The Hockey News, click on one of the Sens headlines below:
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 27: Domenick Fensore #89 of the Carolina Hurricanes takes the ice prior to the first period of their game against the Florida Panthers. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by Mile High Hockey staff members. Seven writers have ranked players under the age of 25 in the Colorado Avalanche organization as of September 1, 2026. Now, we’ll count down each of the 25 players ranked.
Coming in as one of the new Colorado Avalanche signings of this summer’s free agency class is left shot defenseman Domenick Fensore. Originally drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third round of the 2019 NHL draft, the 24-year-old defenseman is coming off a solid AHL campaign with the Chicago Wolves. In his third season with Chicago, Fensore posted career highs in goals (10), assists (25) and points (35) in 60 regular season games.
Fensore was a fixture on the Chicago blue line during the Wolves’ playoff run. In 18 playoff games, he recorded four goals and two assists. One of his goals came as a shorthanded tally during Game Three of the Western Conference Final against the Colorado Eagles, where Fensore will likely spend the upcoming season. Fensore’s regular season numbers would have placed him second in goal scoring among Eagles defensemen, just one shy of the now-departed Jack Ahcan, who had eleven (11) goals in 61 regular season games. Fensore should fit right into the role of offensive defenseman with the Eagles.
Fensore’s prospects of breaking into the Avs lineup are pretty slim, provided that the blue line doesn’t get rocked by a rash of multiple injuries at the same time. That said, the 5’8” Ahcan was (somehow) an appealing option to Avs head coach Jared Bednar at various points in the regular season and playoffs, and if a rash of injuries strike at the likes of Sam Malinski, Josh Manson, or Cale Makar, perhaps the 5’9” Fensore may see some limited NHL usage. He does have three games of NHL experience, all with the Carolina Hurricanes, in which he produced zero points.
Fensore’s AHL playoff experience may prove beneficial for the Eagles this season. Colorado had Chicago on the ropes in their Western Conference Final series, but ultimately fell short in their bid for their first-ever Calder Cup Final appearance, losing in a winner-take-all Game Seven. Will Fensore be a difference-maker for the Eagles this season? Tough to say at this point, but it could be a compelling reason to keep an eye on how things play out in Loveland as the season progresses.
Most of us here on staff ranked Fensore in the mid-to-low teens in our rankings, with Ryan being the most skeptical of us at 28. The 24-year-old will be serviceable on the blue line in Loveland, but being tasked to serve in an NHL-level capacity may be beyond his capabilities.
Let us know what you think of this prospect in the comments!
Winnipeg Jets star Kyle Connor has once again earned recognition as one of the NHL's premier offensive talents.
NHL Network unveiled its annual "Top 20 Wings Right Now" ranking this week, placing Connor 11th among the league's best wingers entering the 2026-27 season.
The 29-year-old slipped two spots from his No. 9 ranking a year ago, despite putting together another highly productive campaign for Winnipeg. And he's not the only Jets star to fall in the rankings this offseason either.
Photo by Charles LeClaire/USA Today
Connor finished the 2025-26 season with a team-leading 39 goals and 92 points, adding 53 assists while appearing in all 82 games for a second consecutive year. It marked his fifth consecutive 30-goal season and gave him 323 goals and 674 points through 695 career NHL games.
His 92 points came one year after setting career highs with 41 goals, 56 assists and 97 points in 2024-25.
NHL Network ranked Connor immediately behind Toronto Maple Leafs winger William Nylander, who checked in at No. 10, while new Los Angeles Kings forward Artemi Panarin landed one spot behind Connor at No. 12.
Cole Caufield, Matthew Tkachuk, Jason Robertson, Matt Boldy, Mikko Rantanen, Mitch Marner, Kirill Kaprizov and David Pastrnak occupied spots nine through two, respectively, while Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov retained the No. 1 position.
Connor's placement comes after another significant year in which he represented the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics and continued climbing Winnipeg's franchise record books.
The Michigan product now sits just five goals shy of Ilya Kovalchuk's 328 for second-most in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise history. Only longtime teammate Mark Scheifele, with 372, has scored more.
Connor's future in Winnipeg is also secure.
The Jets signed their longtime winger to an eight-year, $96-million contract extension last October, carrying an average annual value of $12 million. The deal keeps Connor under contract through the 2033-34 season.
Originally selected 17th overall by Winnipeg in the 2015 NHL Draft, Connor has spent his entire NHL career with the organization.
Despite falling two places in NHL Network's rankings this summer, Connor remains the only Jets winger to crack the Top 20 and will enter his 10th full NHL season as one of Winnipeg's most important offensive weapons.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have 50 days until opening night at Nationwide Arena. Today, we look at the history of jersey #50.
Let's take a look.
Joakim Lindström - 2006 - Lindström was drafted by Columbus in the 2nd round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.
Lindström made his North American debut in the last game of the 04-05 season for the Syracuse Crunch, the CBJ's AHL team. In the 05-06 season, he would make his Blue Jackets debut and play in three games. In 2008, after playing just 37 games, Lindström was traded to the Anaheim Ducks.
He finished his CBJ career with 8 points, but it was his AHL career that paid his bills. In his four seasons with the Crunch, he played in 176 games and had a total of 159 points.
He returned to Europe in 2009 and bounced back and forth between the NHL and Europe until he retired in 2023.
Antoine Vermette - 2009-12 - Vermette was traded to Columbus by Ottawa for Pascal Leclaire and Columbus' 2nd round pick (Robin Lehner) in the 2009 NHL Draft, March 4, 2009.
He played 241 games in Columbus and totaled 152 points.
Vermette was traded to Phoenix by Columbus for Curtis McElhinney, Ottawa's 2nd round pick (previously acquired, later traded to Philadelphia -- Philadelphia selected Anthony Stolarz) in the 2012 NHL Draft and Phoenix's 4th round pick (later traded to Philadelphia, later traded to Los Angeles -- Los Angeles selected Justin Auger) in the 2013 NHL Draft, February 22, 2012.
Vermette retired on January 31, 2019, after 14 NHL seasons. Vermette retired with a 56.6 career faceoff win percentage, which was the ninth-best among all players since the NHL began tracking the stat in 1997.
Eric Robinson - 2018-24 - Robinson was undrafted out of Bellmawr, New Jersey, and signed with Columbus as a free agent on March 27, 2018.
Robinson, known for his blazing speed, played in 266 games for the Blue Jackets before being traded to Buffalo by Columbus for a conditional pick in the 2025 NHL Draft on December 6, 2023. He totaled 82 points for Columbus.
On July 1, 2024, Robinson signed with the Carolina Hurricanes to a 4-year, $6,800,000 contract. In his first season with the Hurricanes, he set career highs in goals, assists, and points with 14, 18, and 32.
In his second season in Carolina, he reached the top of the mountain. After scoring 12 goals and totaling 18 points, he and his Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup by defeating the Vegas Golden Knights. He has 8 points in 19 playoff games.
There are 50 days left until opening night.
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NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 04: Jake Allen #34 of the New Jersey Devils defend his net during the second period of the game against the Montréal Canadiens on April 4, 2026 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
“The New Jersey Devils should have plenty of competition in camp as is, but it never hurts to have more. Let’s look at six players that make sense as PTO options.” [Devils on the Rush]
“The Devils have been one of the most-improved teams this off-season, but one area still needs vast improvement: defensive puck-movement.” [Devils’ Advocates]
“Goaltending is an extremely volatile position. Mehta & Co. are betting that volatility works in their favor. That might sound like a risky way to approach one of the most important positions on a hockey team. But I think it’s actually one of the more calculated decisions Mehta has made.” [New Jersey Hockey Now]
Hockey Links
“For the third consecutive year, The Athletic is looking at the top tier of NHL players, examining which of them could someday be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. It’s a fun, illuminating project — one that provides both material for debate and, we hope, information on what it takes for players to get in.” [The Athletic ($)]
“We are one month from the beginning of NHL training camp, and 18 restricted free agents still remain on the market.” [Daily Faceoff]
“For some teams, the honour will go to an up-and-coming superstar ready to become the face of the franchise. For others, it will go to a veteran who will provide stability and share his experience with younger teammates. Before teams return from summer break, let’s pick a new captain for the 10 without one.” [Sportsnet]
A look at three NHL goalies who have the potential to have breakout years: [The Hockey News]
Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.
PensBurgh’s 2026 edition of the Top 25 Under 25 countdown rolls on with Avery Hayes, a young forward who emerged as a legitimate bottom-six option after making his NHL debut last season.
2025 Ranking:No. 18 Age: 23 (Oct. 10, 2002) Acquired Via: Signed with WB/S Penguins as undrafted free agent before 2023-24 season Height/Weight: 5-foot-10, 174 pounds
Working his way up from an undrafted forward in the American Hockey League, Hayes was called up for his NHL debut in February 2026, scoring two goals in his debut game against the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 5.
Hayes’ two-goal first period put him in rare company, making him just the seventh player in NHL history to accomplish the feat in his debut.
“I can’t really put it into words,” said the 23-year-old forward after his debut. “I’m just excited to see my family after they were able to make the trip. So, I have no words right now, but it was a ton of fun.”
Hayes would then be re-assigned to the AHL during the Olympic break, where he notched a hat trick in his next AHL game back before recording another three-goal game 11 days later.
Hayes went from scoring twice in his NHL debut to struggling to consistently produce at the NHL level when games resumed after the Olympics, illustrating the challenge of making the jump to the world’s best league.
After that two-goal debut, Hayes went pointless between Feb. 26 and March 14. He would score his third career goal in an 8-3 win over the New York Islanders on March 30 before notching two more goals in the team’s regular-season finale, a 7-5 loss to the St. Louis Blues on April 14.
Hayes played 16 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, deployed primarily as an “energy guy” in a bottom-six role, scoring five goals while averaging 11:10 of ice time per game.
Five goals in 16 NHL games isn’t a huge sample, but it does suggest Hayes has some finishing ability that could make him more than a purely energy-line player if he can maintain it over a larger sample.
Hayes finished the 2025-26 AHL season at a nearly point-per-game clip, registering 39 points over 42 games. He also recorded 48 regular-season penalty minutes. In the Calder Cup playoffs, Hayes added another three goals and 40 penalty minutes in 15 games as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins reached the Eastern Conference Finals.
The AHL production is what makes Hayes particularly intriguing. His 24 goals ranked first among Wilkes-Barre/Scranton forwards, despite Hayes missing time while in the NHL. His 39 points in 42 games also made him one of the team’s most productive offensive players.
Over 131 regular-season AHL games, Hayes has provided plenty of spark for the Baby Penguins, recording 53 goals and 90 points along with 112 penalty minutes.
There are higher-ceiling players elsewhere in the Penguins’ prospect pool, but few can match Hayes’ combination of NHL experience, AHL production and proximity to a regular NHL job.
He could be deployed in a bottom-six role given his speed, tenacity and finishing ability. Still, the challenge now is determining whether that offensive production can consistently translate to the NHL.
Hayes has the makings of a pest-like forward, able to get under an opponent’s skin while creating offense through his forechecking. He offers the coaching staff an always-valued “energizer” as a complementary piece.
His biggest obstacle may ultimately be opportunity. The Penguins’ forward depth chart is currently bursting at the seams, leaving Hayes with little margin for error as he tries to secure a regular NHL job.
At this juncture, Hayes looks less like a guaranteed NHL player and more like one of the Penguins’ most intriguing call-up options when injury or ineffective play from other forwards strikes.
After going undrafted and working his way to the NHL, though, that’s a pretty good place to be at 23 years old.
It's officially another season, another prospects ranking for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In years past, this has been a bit easier of an exercise, as there used to be a more clear-cut line between prospects with NHL upside and longshots. However, because of the work that general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas and his staff have put in during the last several years, the line is blurring a whole lot more - and there is a substantially higher volume of talent in the system.
This time around, making a top-20 list was challenging. So, a few criteria were put into place: To make our list, prospects must be under the age of 26 and have played less than 50 NHL games. This excludes names such as Ben Kindel, Filip Hallander, Oliver Okuliar, and Alexander Alexeyev.
At No. 14, we covered Tanner Howe, whose translatable skillset could just render him a fast-lane ticket to the NHL. At No. 13, we spotlight another seventh-rounder - the other being forward Kale Dach at No. 19 - whose substantial growth may come as a bit of a surprise, but it's a pretty big development for the Penguins and their future on the blue line.
No. 13: D Finn Harding
GOAL. Finn Harding with patience and his point shot through traffic finds the back of the net.
If there is a position of weakness in the Penguins' prospect pool, it is probably on the blue line, as they have a whole lot of unknowns and lower-ceiling prospects in that department but not a whole lot of surefire NHL bets.
But even if Harrison Brunicke is, by far, the most promising defenseman in the system, that doesn't mean he's the only one looking like a future NHL mainstay.
Harding, 21, just completed his first full year of professional hockey within the Penguins' organization, primarily with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins. This was after a 2024-25 OHL season with the Brampton Steelheads when he registered seven goals and 57 points in 67 games to go along with a whopping plus-46.
That plus-46 followed a plus-39 season, and it was succeeded in the pros during the 2025-26 season with a combined plus-39 between the Wheeling Nailers - former ECHL affiliate of the Penguins - and WBS. Even if plus-minus is a largely arbitrary stat nowadays, that's not necessarily the case with Harding in particular.
The number speaks not just to how much he's been contributing on offense - he did have four goals and 26 points in 61 games last season, with all but seven of them played in the AHL - but also to how sound and reliable he has been defensively. Harding is quickly putting himself in the same conversation as NHL-upside defensemen in Brunicke, Owen Pickering, and Tomas Galvas, and it's because of how his two-way game is blossoming.
And, quite frankly, that's not bad for a guy who was selected 223rd overall in 2024.
Harding's combination of hockey smarts, defensive instincts, reliability, physicality, and offensive upside make him an intriguing option on the right side. He has excellent gap control, his stick work is impressive, and he has the ability to establish positioning and push attacking players to the outside, making him an effective defender against the rush and one-on-one. He has enough offensive ability to be an effective secondary option on the power play and in a lineup, and he is skilled with the puck on his stick in the offensive zone and in transition.
ATLEY CALVERT. 5-0 #WBSPens with 2:39 left in the 2nd period.
Relentless work along the wall by WBS, and Calvert finishes a rebound at the net.
Great play by Finn Harding creeping in from the right point on the primary assist. Aidan McDonough added a secondary assist.… pic.twitter.com/PzIlfU6Gyv
Harding could stand to improve his skating and mobility a bit more, and that's the biggest knock on his game. But he is an astute pupil, and the organization is impressed with his ability to apply what he has learned.
"He's a spectacular kid," director of player development Tom Kostopoulos said during development camp. "He's intelligent, he's open to learning, and he absorbs information and direction maybe better than any kid we have in our organization. Anything you tell him, you can tell he learns it and he works at it.
"So, he had a good year for his rookie year. He defends hard, he's physical, he's got an undercover little snarl and edge to him, which I like. And he brings some offense. He's plus-30-something in Wilkes-Barre. That doesn't happen by accident. Coaches love him, teammates love him, he's a hockey nerd, and he's got a bright future."
It seems Harding is very much dictating the terms of his future, which looks a whole lot bigger and better than it did two years ago, when he was one of the three final selections in the 2024 draft. If he continues to push his ceiling and heighten expectations, the Penguins may very well have themselves a solid, reliable, two-way bottom-four defender in the near future.
Harding has been, perhaps, the shining example of a successful story in development within the system, and things can only go up from here for him and the Penguins.
Forward Andrei Kuzmenko was one of a few players the Pittsburgh Penguins signed when free agency started on Jul. 1.
They signed him to replace Anthony Mantha after the latter had a career 2025-26 season, finishing with 33 goals and 64 points in 81 games. Mantha was on a one-year contract and was coming off a torn ACL before the Penguins gave him a great opportunity.
Mantha ran with that opportunity, and the Penguins are hoping that Kuzmenko will do the same after finishing last season with only 13 goals and 25 points in 52 games.
Kuzmenko burst onto the scene in his debut NHL season with the Vancouver Canucks in 2022-23, racking up 39 goals and 74 points in 81 games. He also shot 27.3% that season.
Since then, he has only compiled one 20+ goal season (2023-24) and has played on three other teams (Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings, and Philadelphia Flyers). He will be on his fifth NHL team in five seasons when the 2026-27 season starts in September.
The Penguins will likely give him plenty of minutes in the top nine and an opportunity to hit the 20-goal mark for the third time in his career. I hinted at it a bit in my piece about Ben Kindel on Monday, but Kuzmenko feels like a natural fit for the third line. He can finish off the chances that Kindel sets up and gives the Penguins some added depth for that line.
Kuzmenko can also fill in for someone in the top six if injuries arise or if someone is struggling. Going off that, I'd bet that we at least see some minutes with him and Evgeni Malkin on the ice at the same time. It's something that Penguins head coach Dan Muse may experiment with a little bit, even though Kuzmenko is still a strong fit for the third line.
Another area that Kuzmenko will be a strong fit for is the Penguins' power play. He won't be on the top unit, but he should 100% be utilized on the second unit. He played 155:31 on the PP for the Kings last season and scored eight of his 13 goals on that unit.
The power play comes naturally to him, so it would only be fitting for the Penguins' coaching staff to put him there.
I think there's a real shot for him to bounce back and score 20 goals this year. We've seen the Penguins take on two reclamation projects in Anthony Beauvillier and Anthony Mantha, and both turned out to be great signings.
Besides, if the Penguins are out of it by the trade deadline, Kuzmenko could get flipped to a contender for an asset or two. If they're still in it or in a playoff spot, they'd probably be happy to keep him, as they did with Mantha this past season.
All of the Penguins' top free agency signings from last year hit in a major way. Let's see if Kuzmenko can help history repeat itself this year.
Matt Savoie enters an important season as his contract expires at the end of the 2026-27 season, and he becomes an RFA. By this time next summer, his team will be talking with the Oilers about the first long-term contract of his NHL career, and recent deals around the league suggest the price of young forwards is climbing faster than it has in years.
The salary cap is rising, and several players in similar stages of their careers have signed contracts that would have seemed crazy a few seasons ago. Ville Koivunen signed for $4 million for eight years with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Collin Graf signed for $4.25 million at three years with the San Jose Sharks, Cole Sillinger took took 4.624 for three years with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jet Greaves signed for $5 million for three years with the Blue Jackets, and Jamie Drysdale took $6.5 million for four years with the Philideplphia Flyers.
And those are the contracts under $10 million. Savoie has not produced at that level, so those contracts are not direct comparables to where he will sign. They are an illustration of where the market has moved for promising talent entering their early twenties. Teams are paying for the years ahead as much as production that's already been produced, particularly when they believe the player is capable of becoming a fixture in the top six.
Edmonton has held that belief since acquiring Savoie from Buffalo. His junior résumé has 263 points in 283 WHL games between Winnipeg and Moose Jaw. Buffalo drafted him ninth overall because of how well he could produce. The Oilers acquired a player they believed still had another level to reach, and his first full NHL season did little to discourage that.
Savoie enters training camp as one of the candidates to skate alongside Leon Draisaitl, with Kasperi Kapanen also expected to compete for that role. As well as the potential to play on McDavid's wing depending on how the lineup shakes out. A productive year beside one of the league's best centres would raise his value.
That's also why both parties might want to consider signing this summer. The Oilers could maybe get a better deal on the premise of saying "we know you have a bright future, but we can't exactly pay you too large of a sum for things you haven't done yet." And Savoie might want to sign before all the money gets spent on McDavids next extension, if there even is one.
There is another element unique to this negotiation. Savoie grew up in nearby St. Albert, played much of his minor hockey in the Edmonton area and still has family and close friends in the community. Hometown connections often become part of the discussion when players reach the point where they can choose where they want to spend the prime of their careers. Oilers fans have always embraced local players, and the possibility of seeing another Alberta product commit to the organization for much of his twenties would undoubtedly resonate with this community.
A contract in the range of eight years with an average annual value between $4 million and $5.5 million would compensate him well for what he has done for the organization and what he can do. That projection assumes Savoie secures a regular top-six role and continues to build on the progress he showed during his first full NHL season.
The NHL may have 32 teams heading into the 2026-27 season, but expansion talk resurfaces every offseason, and the league will inevitably feature 33 or 34 teams one day. Recently, The Athletic launched a series that produced a mock Expansion Draft for a fictional 33rd team, based on the 2026-27 rosters.
Considering how deep the Calgary Flames are in their rebuild, the writers opted not to select any players from the club, with many under 25. Instead, they selected goalie Devin Cooley, who just became Dustin Wolf's backup last year. The 29-year-old from California compiled a 10-10-6 record in 31 games, producing a 2.69 GAA and .909 SV%. In 2023-24, Cooley made his NHL debut with the San Jose Sharks, going 2-3-1 in just six games.
Revisiting Cooley's Path to the NHL
Before earning a full-time backup role with the Flames last season, Cooley played parts of five seasons in the AHL, appearing in 112 games and posting a 53-41-13 record with a respectable .902 SV% and 3.07 GAA. Moreover, he has built a professional hockey career with stops in the USHL, the ECHL, and with Team USA at the recent World Championships.
Calgary General Manager Craig Conroy signed Cooley to an extension on Dec. 30, 2025, giving him another two years at $2.7 million, the biggest deal of his career.
After taking the long route to a regular NHL job, if Cooley ended up with the fictional 33rd NHL team The Athletic drafted, he'd be hard-pressed to find a spot in a stacked crease. The writers took five goalies in their mock draft, including Filip Gustavsson (Minnesota), Sebastian Cossa (Utah), Leevi Merilainen (Ottawa), Artur Akhyuamov (Toronto), and Cooley.
Flames Recent History with Expansion Drafts
Because of the rules regarding the protection lists in Expansion Drafts, The Athletic decided to go with the 7-3-1 model, letting the Flames keep Jonathan Huberdeau, Mikael Backlund, Matt Coronato, Connor Zary, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Yegor Sharangovich, Zach Whitecloud, Kevin Bahl, Brayden Pachal, and Wolf.
When the Seattle Kraken joined the NHL in 2021, the Flames protected several superstar names, all of which have since departed the organization except Backlund. Calgary's last protected list also included Dillon Dube, Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm, Andrew Mangiapane, Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk, Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Jacob Markström. In the end, the Kraken selected Mark Giordano, who would go on to become the expansion team's first captain.
Meanwhile, when the Vegas Golden Knights came into existence in 2017, the Flames' protection list included several names from the 2021 one, including Backlund, Gaudreau, and Monahan, but also featured Sam Bennett, Michael Ferland, Michael Frolik, Curtis Lazar, T.J. Brodie, Dougie Hamilton, Mike Smith, and then-captain Giordano. The Golden Knights selected Deryk Engelland, who helped the expansion team reach the Stanley Cup Final in June 2018.
Although there is no official Expansion Draft on the horizon, it won't stop fans and media from talking about the possibilities, if and when the moment comes to fruition. Given the youth movement in Calgary, it will be a fascinating time for the club, which will need to sort out their no-movement clauses with several of their core players, knowing that whoever they leave unprotected is someone they may have developed from the draft up to the NHL.
23-year-old Isaac Belliveau, who was drafted in the fifth-round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, has been signed to a one-year AHL contract by Abbotsford.
The 6-foot-2, left-shot defenceman has spent the past three seasons split between the AHL and ECHL. He skated for the Wheeling Nailers in 2023–24, putting up 14 goals and 24 assists in 70 games with the Penguins’ ECHL-affiliate. The 2024–25 season saw him play in more of a split, skating in 22 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and 25 with the Nailers.
After being traded to the Buffalo Sabres in June of 2025 as part of a deal for defenceman Connor Clifton, Belliveau played for the Rochester Americans in the AHL. He skated in 36 games and scored a goal and five assists.
Belliveau played out his junior hockey career in the QMJHL, spending around two seasons with Rimouski Océanic and nearly three with Gatineau Olympiques. He put up a career-high of 53 points in 62 games with Rimouski during his rookie QMJHL season in 2019–20.
In 2023, Belliveau signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Penguins, but did not end up playing for the team. After being traded to Buffalo, he did not receive a qualifying offer.
Sep 25, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Isaac Belliveau (78) moves the puck against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports
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The Montreal Canadiens have not been very busy this off-season when it comes to bringing in new talent.
Although this is the case, the Canadiens still have some time to change that before the start of the 2026-27 season.
When looking at the Canadiens' current roster, it is fair to argue that they could use another right-shot defenseman to improve their depth. Due to this, one player who could make sense for the Canadiens to bring in is Nashville Predators blueliner Nick Perbix.
If the Canadiens acquired Perbix, they would be adding a 6-foot-4 right-shot defenseman who could work well on their bottom pairing. However, he could also be useful to have around when injuries arise during the season.
Perbix would also be an affordable option for the Canadiens, as he has a reasonable $2.75 million cap hit until the end of the 2026-27 season. Due to this, there would be no risk in the Canadiens bringing him in to improve their blueline depth.
Perbix appeared in 79 games this past season for the Predators, where he recorded three goals, 13 points, 95 blocks. He also recorded at least 19 points in each of his three previous seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning. This included during the 2023-24 season when he recorded a career-high 24 points in 77 games. With that, he has shown that he has the potential to provide a little bit of offense from the point.
Overall, if the Canadiens want to add another right-shot defenseman without needing to give up a lot, a solid blueliner like Perbix could make sense for them.
One of the Montreal Canadiens' most promising youngsters has received a big shout-out.
This is because TheHockeyNews.com has named Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler as one of the NHL's top goalie breakout candidates to watch for the 2026-27 season.
There is no question that Fowler has the potential to have a big year for the Canadiens next season. The 21-year-old goalie has big upside and has already shown a lot of promise early on in his NHL career.
Fowler proved that he was NHL-ready during the 2025-26 season, posting a 9-6-2 record, a 2.43 goals-against average, and a .908 save percentage in 17 appearances. Overall, he had a strong start to his NHL career.
Now, the Canadiens will be hoping that the 2023 third-round pick continues to head into the right direction this upcoming season. If he can put together a big breakout year and form a top-of-the-line tandem with Jakub Dobes, it would be massive for a Canadiens club that is looking to be among the NHL's best teams in 2026-27.
It will be very interesting to see what Fowler can do as an encore this campaign. The young goalie has a plethora of potential.
